Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CONSUMER INFORMATION KIOSK
TECINICAL FIELD
[0001] The invention relates to computerized kiosks.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Large retail establishments often include a wide variety of products
and services,
which are offered for sale to customers. Navigation through retail
establishments in order to
locate a desired product or service, however, can become frustrating to
customers. Store
workers can mitigate the frustration by aiding customers in locating the
desired products or
services. However, store workers are not always available to the customers,
and the number
of available workers is generally proportional to operational costs of the
retail establishment.
[0003] Language barriers can compound problems in retail establishments. For
example, if
the customer and worker do not speak the same language, communication can be
difficult or
impossible. Ultimately, if the customer is unable to, quickly locate the
desired products or
services within the retail establishment in a reasonable time frame, the
retail establishment
can lose the customer's business.
SUMIVIARY
[0004] In general, the invention is directed to a kiosk for a retail
establishment or other
similar environment where customers may seek information about products or
services. The
kiosk may be multi-lingual, allowing customers to interact with the kiosk
using any of a
plurality of different languages. The customer can input a product
identification or product
description to the kiosk, e.g., by speaking to the kiosk or typing the product
identification or
description at the kiosk. The kiosk parses the user's input to identify a
store location
associated with the product. The kiosk outputs the location to the user, e.g.,
in the form of
verbal or printed directions to a location of the product, or a printed map of
the store with a
conspicuous identification of the location associated with the product. The
user can use the
output of the kiosk to quickly locate the product of interest. In other
embodiments, the kiosk
may receive verbal requests from a user and respond accordingly.
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[0005] In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a method comprising
capturing input
from a user at a kiosk, the input being indicative of a product, and
identifying a location
within a store, the location being associated with the product. The method
also comprises
outputting to the user from the kiosk an indication of the location.
[0006] In another embodiment, the invention provides a kiosk comprising an
input device to
capture input from a user at a kiosk, the input being indicative of a product,
and a processor
to identify a location within a store associated with the product. The kiosk
also comprises an
output device to output to the user an indication of the location.
[0007] In another embodiment, the invention provides a method comprising
receiving a
query in the fonn of voice input from a user at a kiosk, capturing the voice
input, parsing the
voice input to determine the meaning of the query, retrieving information as a
function of the
meaning of the query, and presenting the information to the user at the kiosk.
[0008] In various other embodiments, the kiosk may be implemented in malls,
hospitals,
medial clinics, airports, stadiums, theaters, train stations, bus terminals,
schools or office
buildings. Other embodiments are also described in which the kiosk collects
information and
possibly interacts with customers, e.g., allowing the customer to communicate
with
high-level voice interaction. In still other examples, the invention
contemplates a store-like
arrangement in which the customer places orders at a kiosk and the order is
delivered to the
customer, e.g., at the same store. In that case, the store may include a
warehouse to house the
various products, and a set of kiosks to facilitate the collection of
customers orders.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a process in which a user
interacts with a kiosk
according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 is another flow diagram illustrating a process in which a user
interacts with a
kiosk according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0011] FIGS. 3 and 4 are block diagrams of kiosks according to embodiments of
the
invention.
[0012] FIGS. 5 and 6 are block diagrams of systems in which on or more kiosks
are
networked to another computer according to embodiments of the invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a process in which a user (such
as a customer of
a retail establishment) interacts with a kiosk. The invention, however, may
also fmd
application in a wide variety of other settings. As shown in FIG. 1, the user
inputs a query to
the kiosk. For purposes of illustration, the query pertains to a particular
product. In this
illustration, the user inputs an identification of a product to the kiosk
(11). For example, the
user may speak into a microphone at the kiosk to identify the product or
provide a description
of the product. Alternatively, the user may type the identification or
description into a
keypad or touch screen disposed on the kiosk. The kiosk is configured to
receive the input in
plain language, so that a user may input a query such as "Where are the
hammers?" The
kiosk may be multi-lingual, allowing the user to interact with the kiosk using
any of a
plurality of different languages.
[0014] The kiosk captures the input (12), and parses the input to identify a
location of the
product described or identified by the user (13). In particular, the kiosk
identifies the product
of interest to the consumer, accesses one or more databases or lookup tables
that map
products to locations within the establishment, and retrieves the location of
the product of
interest. The kiosk outputs to the user store directions to the product
described or identified
by the user (14). For example, the kiosk may output verbal or printed
directions to a location
of the product, or a printed map of the store with a conspicuous
identification of the location
associated with the product. The user can use the directions to quickly locate
the product of
interest (15).
[0015] By way of example, the kiosk may be used in a hardware store. A user
may enter the
hardware store and ask the kiosk: "Where are the hammers?" In response, the
kiosk prints a
map of the store with a marking that identifies the location of the hammers
within the
hardware store.
[0016] If the product identified by the user is unavailable or unknown to the
kiosk, the kiosk
may output an indication to the user that the desired product cannot be
located. In that case,
the kiosk may provide a list of related products, which the user can select to
obtain directions
within the store and/or provide an interface for ordering the item. For
example, in response
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to a query about a particular brand of tool, the kiosk may inform the user
that the store does
not carry that brand, but may direct the user to comparable tools of other
brands or allow the
user to order the brand not currently in stock.
[0017] Also, if the product identified by the user is too general, the kiosk
may output an
indication to the user that more information is needed. In that case, the
kiosk may also
provide a list of products that may correspond to the product desired by the
user, which the
user can select to obtain directions within the store. For example, in
response to a query,
"Where is the paint?" the kiosk may ask the user to specify whether he is
interested in
interior house paint, exterior house paint, spray paint or artistic supplies.
[0018] Price information and the number of available items in stock may also
be provided to
the user. Also, if desired, the product information may be used to generate
customer-specific
advertising in real time, e.g., by printing coupons or sale literature based
on the customer's
request.
[0019] In other embodiments, the kiosk may respond to other queries from the
customer. For
example, the kiosk may be programmed to provide sale information in response
to the verbal
inquiry asking: "What is on sale?" In some cases, the kiosk may print coupons
in response to
an inquiry about sale items or an inquiry requesting the coupons. Also, the
kiosk may
identify customers by name or number, and operate in a "frequent customer"
mode in which
specific coupons or specials are presented to customers that shop or spend
over a threshold.
The kiosk may be useful any many environments, including retail
establishments, rental
stores or establishments, or any establishment where a user might query about
products or
services. As other examples, the kiosk may be implemented in malls, hospitals,
medial
clinics, airports, stadiums, theaters, train stations, bus terminals, schools
or office buildings.
[0020] The kiosk may be a stand alone unit, or may be networked to central
computer which
maintains databases of information presented at the kiosk. In the latter case,
the central
computer may store inventory information, price information, and store
locations associated
with each product. As inventory, price or locations of a product change, these
changes may
be reflected in the central computer in real time, allowing the customers to
obtain up-to-date
information from the kiosk. For example, the central computer may also be
networked to
point-of-sale terminals or shipping terminals so that changes in inventory can
be reflected in
real time. In some cases, some information may be stored locally at the kiosk
and other
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information may be stored on a remote computer networked to the kiosk. For
example,
product pricing information may be stored on a central server associated with
a retail chain.
However, store locations associated with each product may be stored locally on
kiosks of the
different establishments, as the products may be located in different
locations at the different
establishments.
[0021] In still other examples, the invention contemplates a store-like
arrangement in which
the customer places orders at a kiosk and the order is delivered to the
customer, e.g., at the
same store. In that case, the store may include a warehouse to house the
various products,
and a set of kiosks to facilitate the collection of customers orders. The
customers may enter
orders at the kiosks, which are then delivered directly to the customer.
[0022] FIG. 2 a flow diagram illustrating a more detailed process in which a
user interacts
with a multi-lingual kiosk using verbal communication. As shown in FIG. 2, the
user may
select a language (21), e.g., by pressing a button or touch screen at the
kiosk. For example,
identifiers of different languages such as flags of different countries or a
map of the world
may be presented to the user for selection. The kiosk receives the selection,
and interacts
with the user using the language indicated by the selection. Alternatively,
the kiosk may be
programmed to identify a given language automatically, based on usage and
context of the
user's speech.
[0023] The user inputs a query, such as a verbal identification of a product
(22). The kiosk
captures the verbal identification (23), and performs interpretation with
respect to the verbal
identification (24). For example, the kiosk may execute speech recognition
software in order
to interpret the user's speech. Based on the interpretation of the user's
verbal identification
of the product, the kiosk identifies directions to the product within the
store (25). The kiosk
outputs these directions to the user (26), and the user utilizes the
directions to quickly locate
the product within the store (27). For example, the kiosk may output verbal or
printed
directions to a location of the product, or a printed map of the store with a
conspicuous
identification of the location associated with the product. In any of these
cases, the user can
use the directions to quickly locate the product of interest (27). If a
product is unavailable or
out of stock, the kiosk may also allow the customer to place an order for the
product.
[0024] In a variation of the method, the kiosk may interrogate the user about
his or her query.
For example, if the user asks about paint, the kiosk may interrogate the user
about the kind of
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paint that the user wants. In some cases, the speech recognition software may
determine that
the query is ambiguous, and may ask the user to clarify. For example, if the
user asks about
"mailboxes" but does not enunciate clearly, the kiosk may ask the user whether
he meant to
ask about "mailboxes" or "nail boxes."
[0025] Also, the kiosk may allow for high-level voice interaction in which the
customer does
not identify a product, but rather a goal that the customer wants to achieve.
In response, the
kiosk may determine how the customer can meet that goal, and identify various
products that
could help meet the goal. For example, the customer may indicate that they
need to cook
low-salt meals for four people (the goal). In response, the kiosk may generate
a variety of
recipes (ways to meet the goal) and identify where the ingredients are located
within the store
(products that can help meet the goal).
[0026] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a kiosk 30 according to
an
embodiment of the invention. Kiosk 30 includes an input device 31 to receive
input from a
user and an output device to provide output to the user. Input device 31 may
comprise, for
example, a microphone at the kiosk through which the user speaks, or a
keyboard or touch
screen that the user can use to type the identification or description of a
desired product.
[0027] Input device 31 captures the input from the user, and provides the
input to processor
33. Processor 33 parses the input to identify the product in question and to
determine a
location of the product described or identified by the user. Processor 33 may
comprise a
general purpose microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit
(ASIC), a field
programmable gate array (FPGA), or another processor. Processor 33 executes a
product
locator module 34, which may be implemented in hardware or software, which
determines a
location as a function of the product in question. Processor 33 also accesses
database 35,
which stores mappings between products and locations within the store.
[0028] In one implementation, processor 33 may comprise a general purpose
microprocessor
such as those commercially available from Intel Corporation of Santa Clara,
California. In
that case, processor 33 executes an operating system such as the WindowsTM
operating
system commercially available from Microsoft Corporation, of Redmond,
Washington.
[0029] Database 35 may comprise a relational database management system
(RDBMS), a
database management system hierarchical (HDBMS), a multidimensional database
management system (MDBMS), an object-oriented database management system
(ODBMS
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or OODBMS) or an object-relational database management system (ORDBMS). Data
may
be stored, for example, within a single relational database 35 such as SQL
Server from
Microsoft Corporation. If multiple different languages are supported, database
35 may
include one or more dictionaries for each language.
[0030] Product locator module 34 may comprise a software program designed to
execute on
processor 33. Product locator module 34 causes processor 33 to access database
35 in order
to identify mappings between products and locations within the store. Thus,
when a user
inputs an identification or description of a product using input device 31,
processor 33
identifies the product, identifies the location of the product and outputs
that location to the
user via output device 36. Output device 36, for example, may comprise a
display screen, an
audio speaker, or a printer that prints a map of the store with a conspicuous
marking to
indicate the location of the product in question within the store.
[0031] FIG. 4 is another block diagram of an embodiment of a kiosk 40
according to an
embodiment of the invention. Kiosk 40 includes a display device 41, a voice
capture device
42 and a printing device 43. Processor 44 is coupled to each of devices 41,
42, 43. Display
device 41 provides a visual interface to the user and may comprise a touch
screen. The user
may select a desired language by selecting an identifier of the desired
language on the touch
screen. Kiosk 40 receives the user's language selection and configures itself
to operate in the
selected language.
[0032] Voice capture device 42 may comprise a microphone that captures the
user's speech.
Printing device 43 may comprise any of a wide variety of printers, including
but not limited
to a dot-matrix printer, a laser printer, an ink-jet printer, or another
printer.
[0033] Processor 44 may comprise a general purpose microprocessor that
executes software
modules including an interpretation module 45, a product locator module 46 and
an
advertising module 47. Processor 44 can access one or more databases 48, which
store the
data needed to execute the techniques described herein. The modules and
processor could
also be implemented solely in hardware, e.g., in an ASIC.
[0034] Voice capture device 42 captures voice information from the user
indicative of a
product that the user is trying to locate. The voice information may identify
the product by
name or brand, for example, or simply describe the product. Processor 44
receives the voice
information and invokes interpretation module 45 to interpret the voice
information.
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Interpretation module 45 may comprise voice recognition software or embedded
hardware.
If desired, different interpretation modules may be used for different
languages selected by
the user. Also, databases 48 may include a plurality of dictionaries in order
to allow the one
or more interpretation modules to support different languages. In any case,
interpretation
module 45 determines from the voice information what product the user is
trying to locate.
In a variation of the embodiment, kiosk 40 may interrogate the user via an
output device,
such as display device 41, about the user's query.
[0035] Product locator module 46 comprises a software program or embedded
hardware that
causes processor 44 to access databases 48 in order to identify mappings
between products
and locations within the store. Thus, by invoking product locator module 46,
processor 44
identifies the location of the product identified by interpretation module 45.
Processor 44
outputs the identified location of the product to the user via display device
41, printing device
43, or both. Printing device 43, for example, may print a map of the store
with a conspicuous
marking to indicate the location of the product in question within the store.
A template map
of the store can be stored in databases 48 so that when the location is
identified, processor 44
can,generate a map with a conspicuous marking of the location by adding the
marking to the
template map of the store.
[0036] If desired, processor 45 may also execute an advertising module 47.
Advertising
module 47 uses information indicative of the product identified by
interpretation module 45
to generate customer-specific advertising material in real time. For example,
advertising
module 47 may cause printing device 43 to print coupons or sale literature
based on the
customer's request. In particular, advertising module 47 may cause printing
device 43 to
print coupons or sale literature based on the product identified by
interpretation module 45,
or based on the location identified by product locator module 46. As the user
is likely to
proceed to the location of the product in question, coupons or sales
literature related to other
products in close proximity to the product in question may be very effective
marketing tools.
[0037] The invention is not limited to the specific input or output devices
described herein.
In some embodiments, for example, kiosk 40 may include a speech synthesis
module that
presents the output information audibly by way of a speaker. Kiosk 40 can also
present
pre-recorded messages or announcements via the speaker. Furthermore, kiosk 40
may
present output information in a variety of formats, presenting some
information visually via
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display device 41, presenting other infonnation in written form via printing
device 43, and
presenting additional information audibly via the speaker.
[0038] The kiosks described herein may be stand alone units, or may be
networked to central
computer that maintains databases of information presented at the kiosk. FIG.
5 is a block
diagram of a system 50 including a kiosk 51 coupled to a computer 61 via a
network 65.
Network 65 may comprise a small local area network (LAN), a wide area network,
or even a
global network such as the Internet. Voice information may be transferred
between the kiosk
and other devices of the network via a voice over IP protocol, or may be
translated to text
locally at the kiosk prior to transmission. In any case, a communication link
between kiosk
51 and computer 61 allows kiosk 51 to harness the processing capabilities and
storage
capabilities of computer 61. Moreover, the information stored on computer 61
may be
accessible by a plurality of different kiosks 51A-51D via network 65, as shown
in FIG. 6.
Accordingly, updates to information on computer 61 can be reflected in real
time to the
output of kiosks 51A-51D.
[0039] Referring again to FIG. 5, kiosk 51 includes a voice capture device 52
and a printing
device 53. Voice capture device 52 and printing device 53 are coupled to local
processor 54
located locally in kiosk 51. Local processor 54 may access local database 55
in order to
execute some or all of the techniques described herein.
[0040] Kiosk 51 also includes a network interface 56 which facilitates
communication with
computer 61 over network 65. Computer 61 likewise includes a network interface
62 to
communication with kiosk 51. Computer 61 also includes a remote processor 63
(remote
with respect to kiosk 51) and a remote database 64.
[0041] Remote processor 63 may access remote database 64, at the direction of
kiosk 51 in
order to execute some or all of the techniques described herein. In that case,
communication
between kiosk 51 and computer 61 allows kiosk 51 to harness the processing
capabilities of
remote processor 63. Moreover, the information stored in remote database 64 of
computer
61 is accessible to kiosk 51. Accordingly, updates to information on computer
61 can be
reflected in real time to the output of kiosk 51, as well as other kiosks 51A-
5-1D (FIG. 6). In
some cases some information can be stored in remote database 64, e.g.,
information that is
common for a set of establishments, and other information can be stored
locally in local
database 55, e.g., information that may vary across the set of establishments.
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[0042] Remote database 64 of computer 61 may store inventory information,
price
information, and store locations associated with each product. As inventory,
price or
locations of a product change, these changes may be reflected in the central
computer in real
time, allowing the customers to obtain up-to-date information from any given
kiosk
51A-51D. Accordingly, the need to update information at the individual kiosks
can be
avoided. Also, computer 61 may be networked to point-of-sale terminals or
shipping
terminals so that changes in inventory can be reflected in real time. These
point-of-sale
terminals or shipping terminals, for example, may be included within network
65.
[0044] Various embodiments of the invention have been described. In accordance
with the
invention, the techniques and embodiments described herein may be implemented
in
hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in
software, the
techniques may be directed to a computer-readable medium in a kiosk,
comprising program
code that when executed in the kiosk performs one or more of the techniques
described
herein. The kiosk may include, for example, one or more processors which
access the
instructions stored on the computer-readable medium, and execute the
instructions in order to
perform one or more the techniques described herein.
[0045] Nevertheless, various modifications may be made to the embodiments
described
above. For example, although primarily described in the context of a retail
establishment, the
invention may also be useful in a wide variety of other settings, including
but not limited to
medial clinics, airports, stadiums, theaters, train stations, bus terminals,
schools or office
buildings. Other embodiments contemplate a kiosk collects information such as
customer
shopping trends and possibly interacts with customers based on the collected
information. In
that case, for example, the kiosk may support a "frequent customer" mode that
prompts
user-specific action for frequent customers or customers that have spent over
a threshold
amount in the past.
[0046] The kiosk may also allow customer to communicate with high-level voice
interaction,
e.g., allowing the customer to state goals which prompt the kiosk to identify
ways to achieve
the goals and products that may help. In still other examples, the invention
contemplates a
store-like arrangement in which the customer places orders at a kiosk and the
order is
delivered to the customer, e.g., at the same store. In that case, the store
may include a
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warehouse to house the various products, and a set of kiosks to facilitate the
collection of
customers orders.
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